This is the first time that I have come across Dill’s work, and a quick search of 15² reveals that this may well be his first appearance in the daily Independent after having several puzzles published in the Independent on Sunday.
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, and was even looking forward to declaring a first victory over this unfamiliar setter, when I came unstuck with 20 and 30 at the end. I needed to cheat to find these answers, both of which were fairly clued and thus eminently solvable. I await Dill’s next puzzle to gain my revenge!
My favourite clues today were 17 and 22, both for smoothness of surface. I would appreciate some reassurance in respect of my parsing of 13. The entry at 23 was unfamiliar to me. Incidentally, the completed grid is a pangram, in that all 26 letters of the alphabet are used at least once.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BLOOMERS | Australian males drinking head of lager make silly mistakes
L<ager> (“head of” means first letter only) in BOOMERS (=Australian males, i.e. male kangaroos) |
| 05 | ABJECT | Very bad sailor capsized at first in stream
AB (=sailor, i.e. able-bodied seaman) + [C<apsized> (“first in” means first letter only) in JET (=stream)] |
| 10 | SHIFT | Move // working schedule
Double definition |
| 11 | TEST-DRIVE | Mobile vets tried to check out new vehicle
*(VETS TRIED); “mobile” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | LAMPOONED | An old poem funnily satirised
*(AN OLD POEM); “funnily” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | VEST | Confer with some authoritative statesmen
Hidden (=some) in “authoratitiVE STatesmen”; to confer on is to (in)vest (powers) in, bestow on |
| 15 | REZONE | Change urban limits concerning an unknown number
RE (=concerning, regarding) + Z (=an unknown, in algebra) + ONE (=number) |
| 16 | PEERAGE | Nobility of servant protecting English Queen
[E (=English) + ER (=Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina)] in PAGE (=servant) |
| 19 | TASTIER | Broadcasting artiste becomes more sensationally attractive
*(ARTISTE); “broadcasting” is anagram indicator; the “sensationally” of the definition refers to the sense of taste |
| 21 | BASQUE | Graduates in Spanish that discover another language
Bas (=graduates, i.e. Bachelors of Arts) + QUE (=Spanish that, i.e. the Spanish word for that) |
| 23 | COHO | Pacific salmon marinated in alcohol
Hidden (“marinated”, soaked) in “alCOHOl” |
| 25 | SUSPENDER | Hangman, say, backing American profligate
SU (US=American; “backing” indicates reversal) + SPENDER (=profligate, spendthrift); cryptically, one who hangs (something) up could be described as a “suspender” |
| 27 | IMPROVISE | Make up, though one’s better without
I’S (=one’s) in IMPROVE (=better, as verb) |
| 28 | TUNIC | African capital nearly caught unarmed outfit
TUNI<s> (=African capital, of Tunisia; “nearly” means last letter is dropped) + C (=caught, on cricket scorecard); cryptically, a tunic could be described as an “unarmed” outfit as it is typically sleeveless! |
| 29 | GARTER | Republican in attendance with King’s knightly order
[R (=Republican) in GATE (=attendance, at e.g. football match)] + R (=King, i.e. rex) |
| 30 | DEBRIEFS | Goes commando and talks through the mission
Cryptically, goes commando, i.e. takes underpants off, could be described as de-briefs |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BUSTLE | Bankrupt the French business
BUST (=bankrupt, as adjective) + LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the); bustle is the state of being busy, hence “business” |
| 02 | OPIUM DENS | Smoking joints, surprisingly minus dope
*(MINUS DOPE); “surprisingly” is anagram indicator |
| 03 | METROPOLIS | Underground force in Scottish city
METRO (=underground) + POLIS (=force in Scottish, i.e. the police) |
| 04 | RETINUE | Staff regret accepting European money
[E (=European) + TIN (=money)] in RUE (=regret) |
| 06 | BODY | Youngster buries dead corpse
D (=dead) in BOY (=youngster) |
| 07 | EXILE | Former priest stands up to banishment
EX (=former) + ILE (ELI=priest, in OT; “stands up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 08 | TWENTIES | Scores of time left – that is special!
T (=time) + WENT (=left) + I.E. (=that is, id est) + S (=special) |
| 09 | USED UP | Exhausted provincial politicians support employment
USE (=employment) + DUP (=provincial politicians, i.e. NI party) |
| 14 | NEWSLETTER | Bulletin points to landlord
N E W S (=points, of compass) + LETTER (=landlord) |
| 17 | ABUNDANCE | Host a Chelsea ball?
A + BUN (=Chelsea, for example) + DANCE (=ball); a host of is a large number of, hence “abundance” |
| 18 | STOCKING | Saving up for // treat on Christmas morning?
Double definition |
| 20 | RUSSIA | Country person moving too quickly by all accounts
Homophone (“by all accounts”) of “rusher (=person moving too quickly)” |
| 21 | BESIEGE | Drone over South Island, say, causes hassle persistently
[S (=south) + I (=island) + E.G. (=say, for example)] in BEE (=drone) |
| 22 | BRACES | Prepares for shock of Black Sabbath’s touring marathon perhaps
RACE (=marathon perhaps) in [B (=black, as in HB pencils) + S (=Sabbath)] |
| 24 | HYPER | Over-excited drunk reported lift salesman
Homophone (“reported”) of “high (=drunk)” + PER (REP=salesman; “lift” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 26 | HOSE | Discussed gardening tools for water distributor
Homophone (“discussed”) of “hoes (=gardening tools)” |
It seems that pangrams are like buses at the moment (although buses are not so much like buses at present). None for a while and then 3 in succession.
I wish there were more ladies setting crosswords but can confirm that Dill is one of them
This pangram was great fun. Most of it went in quite quickly but the last handful of clues proved to be quite challenging.
I didn’t know that busyness could be spelt business but Chambers put me wise. 2d was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dill and to RR – by the way, I think Dill is a she.
Quite challenging in places, but we got it all in the end.
Tuesday being theme day we think there’s one of clothing: BLOOMERS, SHIFT, VEST etc. We’ve found 12 themed answers (13 if DEBRIEFS is included).
Favourite, though, was METROPOLIS.
Thanks, Dill and RatkojaRiku.
Failed to spot the pangram and the theme. I’ve come across COHO twice before, and both quite recently. Being Scottish, I liked 3d, for the local bobbies.
I thought this was a wonderful puzzle. Congratulations dill on all your super-smooth surfaces that make solving a joy. I hadn’t even noticed the pangram and the theme until I came here; that makes it even more special. Very impressed. The only thing that confused me was the IN in 21a. How can I pick a favourite when every clue is great? OK, I think 12a, An old poem funnily satirised, is representative.
many thanks Dill and thank you also RR
As usual, I didn’t think of looking for a theme but now it’s staring me in the face!
Have to admit to checking on the salmon although I’m sure he’s popped up before today and I made a stupid error over 30a which left me in something of a dilemma where 21d was concerned.
Not to worry, it all came good in the end and my top two were 2&18d.
Many thanks to Dill – nice to see you back again – and thanks to RR for the blog.
Thanks all, very enjoyable. I liked 30 – going commando is just what this crossword is not doing.
It was 15ac and 21dn that held out for me, but I did get them eventually, with no help.
Theme seems to be more related to underwear rather that just clothing -BODY, BASQUE, GARTER, etc. And, of course, METROPOLIS is the home of Superman, famous for wearing his underpants on the outside.
Re the theme, I agree with Dormouse @ 9 that it’s predominantly underwear:
BLOOMERS, SHIFT, GARTER, VEST, BASQUE, SUSPENDER, TUNIC, deBRIEFS, BUSTLE, HOSE, BODY STOCKING are all not generally outerwear.
I didn’t think of BODY STOCKING as a BODY is an undergarment, too – fastening at the crotch, Chambers tells me. Just to add to the mix, men’s BRACES are called SUSPENDERS in the US.
Agree with all this was a wonderfully entertaining crossword. Like many I also failed to twig the theme. LOI was BESIEGE.
19A I thought the TASTIER referred to the crudish expression of admiration by a man for an attractive young lady.
Great puzzle, Dill and usual fine blog, RatkojaRiku.